Chapter 9
Long Lian wanted to ride in the same carriage as Xiao Hua but with one glance from the third prince, the princess became docile. Not reconciled, she secretly sent a look of grievance to Xiao Hua but the young maid could only shake her head and mouthed 'sorry'. She was just a maid, how can she provoke her master?
Xiao Hua ends up in the same carriage as before, but this time, the original occupants- the two ex-maid of the princess- had changed to the four inner maids of Prince Long Zhu.
She secretly praised the third prince's taste, because not only An Jing and An Wan possessed beyond the average beauty, even the remaining two maids' looks were not bad. Xiao Hua, being bias, rated An Jing as the most beautiful of the four.
But the atmosphere inside this carriage was tense with a heavy silence. Xiao Hua does not dare to make any eye contact, but in contrast, the two maids, introduced as Tian Zi and Tian Chi, did not bother to act covertly when they stared at Xiao Hua with undisguised curiosity.
"Sister An Jing, if you are tired, I can offer my lap to Elder sister Xiao Hua," An Wan offered, being the first to break the silence.
The reason why An Wan said that was because An Jing had Xiao Hua seated on her lap. Thanks to that, Xiao Hua does not feel the pain from the bumpy ride. She did not know how it works but An Jing's body did not sway from the carriage's movement, remaining steady, giving off the impression that she was sitting on the still ground.
When An Jing and Xiao Hua first entered the carriage, the two younger maids were surprised that An Jing would have Xiao Hua placed on her lap. An Wan did not seem to be overly surprised at it because she had seen An Jing voluntarily carried Xiao Hua in her arms before.
The two younger maids could not tamper their curiosity, for An Jing was not a benevolent person. Her mind was only on serving their Lord and nothing else.
"I will take up your offer if I get tired," An Jing said, but from her posture, it looks like she would not take it unless there was no other choice. The carriage went silent again, but Tian Zi and Tian Chi's stare grew even bolder for no one stopped them. Xiao Hua felt like she was inside a cage in a zoo where visitors would pay money to come and stare at her.
"The two of you, have you lost your manners?" An Wan finally could not stand it.
"He he, Sister An Wan, we are just curious about our new older sister," Tian Zi, the one with a mole under her right eyes said.
"To be chosen as our Lord's personal maid is not a small matter." Tian Chi, the maid with chubby cheeks, added. The two of them could be mistaken as twins if they do not look alike other than their matching pink uniform and double plaits hairstyle.
"If you know it's a decision made by our Lord himself, then don't ask," An Wan scolded them lightly.
Xiao Hua, seeing them being friendly and not at all like those scary and unfriendly maids from the novels she read, slowly relaxed.
"Elder Sister Hua looks even more like a kid when she's sitting on Sister An Jing's lap." Tian Zi and Tian Chi giggled.
An Wan, who was serious most of the time, could not resist giggling at the funny sight as well. Even when Xiao Hua sitting with her back straight on An Jing's lap, the top of her head could only reach the older girl's neck.
Xiao Hua took this opportunity to ask some necessary things. "Fellow sisters." It was weird to call strangers as sisters and Le XiaoTing never called her seniors in her workplace as brother or sister either. "What is the job of a personal maid?"
"This-"
"The Prince will brief your duty when we return," An Jing cut off Tian Zi. "You do not need to worry. His Highness is not harsh to those that work hard."
That is very worrying! {{ (>_<) }}
Le XiaoTing knew herself very well and a hardworking person she was not! She loves shortcuts and often lax around if there was an opportunity. Xiao Hua's mood turned gloomy. Does that mean she needs to work very hard from now on?
"We are being ambushed," An Jing casually stated and the atmosphere suddenly grew somber. The inner maids became more alert and their easygoing playfulness vanished. The next moment, the carriage stopped abruptly and it was lucky for Xiao Hua to have An Jing stopping her from falling off her lap.
Tian Zi and Tian Chi each removed a small blade that was hidden under their sleeves and carefully sneaked out from the carriage.
"Elder Sister Hua, don't worry, I will protect you," An Jing promised, her hand gently patted her head. Xiao Hua then realized that she was trembling. It was funny that her mind was not in panic but her body was.
As if her ears suddenly uncovered by a stopper, Xiao Hua could finally hear the sound of swords clashing, similar to the sounds she had heard before from the movies, but the sounds she heard now were much harsher and brutal. She could feel the pure violence from it.
Her emotion finally caught up to her brain, her trembling grew worse. She felt scared but does not know what to do. Even if there were guards, could they survive the ambush? Were they ambushed by bandits or assassins?
From the novel, Xiao Hua remembered that the third prince had no backing with only a tiny amount of protection. No one had seriously aimed for his life because he was an incompetent son with only good looks to be proud of. He was weak-willed with no desire to make enemies with his siblings, which was why he did not meddle in politics or fought for the throne.
The carriage suddenly titled to a side, which elicited a panicking scream from Xiao Hua. The carriage would have overturned if An Wan had not stopped it. With few hand movements, she slammed an open palm onto the wall and upright the carriage.
"Sister An Wan, go and see why they could not even handle some bandits," An Jing ordered coldly. An Wan nodded and darted out of the carriage swiftly.
"W-Wait, it's dangerous outside!" Xiao Hua called out and would have tried to pull An Wan back had An Jing not stopped her.
"We, the inner maids, are also our master's protector. We know how to fight, so you do not need to worry, Elder Sister Hua. Soon, the fight will end."
Xiao Hua's fear slowly receded and rational thoughts started to flow again. An Wan's actions that saved the carriage just now showed that she was not a normal person. And earlier Tian Zi and Tian Chi even have a blade with them.
This... maybe the third prince was not as weak as the author had described?
"Charge!" A loud masculine voice with a heroic tone overwhelms the frightening sounds of battle. Xiao Hua's eardrums were filled with what it could be categorized as warrior cries until she had to cover her ears.
"W-What's going on?" Xiao Hua asked in reflex and turned to look over her shoulder at An Jing, who had a frown on her pretty face that could be described as irritation.
Before she could ask about it, An Jing pressed her head onto her chest before parted the window slightly to peer outside. After a glance, she retracted her gaze and shut the window. Xiao Hua heard a soft whistle and after a moment, An Wan entered the carriage with traces of blood on her light pink uniform.
"Sister An Jing, the Second Prince and his troop are here for the rescue."
The Second prince? The hero finally made his appearance! ＼(≧▽≦)／